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Zucchini bread is not a vegetable!

It’s that time of year when everybody and their brother are trying to get rid of excess zucchini!

Zucchini is considered a summer squash, and while it is probably the best-known summer squash, there are other varieties such as patty pan, yellow straight-neck, yellow crookneck and chayote.

Summer squash, unlike winter squash, when harvested at the immature stage has a soft shell with tender light-colored flesh. These squash are about 95 percent water, making them a very low-calorie food, only 20 calories per one cup chopped serving. They are also a good source of vitamin C and potassium. To get the most nutrition, eat the flesh, seeds and skin of the vegetable.

While your neighbor may want to give you the gigantic zucchini from his garden, zucchini and other summer squash are really at their peak nutritionally and taste-wise when they are harvested at an immature stage. The skin should be tender but firm with a glossy appearance and free of bruises. Large squash with dull, hard skin will have enlarged seeds and dry, stringy flesh.

Once harvested or purchased, they should be stored unwashed in a plastic bag in the crisper, and they will keep for about a week.

For long-term preservation, the best method is freezing. Depending on how you plan to use zucchini, it can be frozen as slices or grated.

For slices, wash and cut zucchini into half-inch slices, blanch for about 3 minutes, cool quickly in ice water, drain well and package in freezer containers. Blanching is a critical step, as this inactivates enzymes that would cause the zucchini to continue to mature, resulting in off colors, flavor and toughening.

For grated zucchini, steam blanch for 1-2 minutes in a basket, immerse the basket in ice water to stop the cooking process, drain well and package in freezer containers, leaving about a half-inch of headspace.

Other methods of preservation include drying; follow the recommendations on your dehydrator or pickling. There are no safe, tested methods of canning slices or cubes of zucchini, but there are recipes for pickling such as Pickled Bread and Butter Zucchini or Zucchini Pineapple.

For recipes with processing times or further information on freezing and drying, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation website at http://nchfp.uga.edu/ or contact your local Extension office.

There are many ways to enjoy this summer vegetable. After washing and trimming you can slice it into strips, rounds or chunks and eat raw, with a dip or as an ingredient in salads. If baking or grilling, slice the zucchini in half, drizzle with olive oil and add your favorite seasoning. Many people combine with other vegetables in a stir fry, add to soups or casseroles, or simply steam and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Of course, there is the stand-by: zucchini bread, but for the zucchini in the bread to count as a serving of vegetable, you would have to eat half of the loaf – probably not a good idea! If you want to make your zucchini bread recipe a little healthier, you could substitute half the flour with whole-wheat flour to increase your whole grain intake. Consider replacing oil with applesauce, but remember, while this will lower the fat content, you will be increasing the carbohydrate and sugar content. Substituting liquid egg substitutes or egg whites for whole eggs will lower the cholesterol, and in most recipes you can reduce the amount of sugar by one-quarter without affecting taste or texture.

One last tidbit of information in case you don’t have enough zucchini: you might be interested to know that the bright orange and yellow flowers of the plant are also edible! In Mexico the flower is actually preferred over the vegetable and is cooked in soups and used as a filling in quesadillas.

For something a little different, try Summer Squash Pancakes.

Summer Squash Pancakes

(makes 8-10 pancakes)

1 cup grated summer squash like zucchini

¢ tsp. salt

3 tsps. minced fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, minced finely

§ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

§ cup pancake mix

Mix all ingredients. Dollop 2-3 spoonfuls of pancake batter onto hot griddle or onto a large non-stick pan. Cook until edges are dry. Flip over and cook until done. Serve with a pat of butter or margarine if desired.

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Sources:

Summer Squash retrieved from http://panen.org

Christensen, D. (2010). Preserve the Harvest, Zucchini. Utah State University Cooperative Extension

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Laurie Welch is a nutrition and family issues educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension, 570-726-0022.

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